Bishop set to bless Freeport church steeple ahead of parish's 200th anniversary

Bishop Larry Kulick said he has blessed many things since being installed as the high priest of the Diocese of Greensburg in 2021.

A 110-foot-high church steeple will receive his next blessing Sunday.

Kulick is set to mount a crane after Mass on Sunday morning to ask for God’s favor upon the newly repainted steeple of St. Mary, Mother of God Church in Freeport as the parish prepares for its bicentennial.

Founded in 1826, the parish predates the incorporation of Freeport borough and the Diocese of Greensburg.

A smaller, original church was constructed in 1827 before the current church — complete with the steeple — was built in 1849.

Joining Kulick on the crane will be St. Mary’s pastor, the Rev. Rick Kosisko, who said the two will be wearing harnesses. Kosisko said the bishop will use an aspergillum, which is an instrument for sprinkling holy water, to offer his blessing.

Jeff Polana, the parish’s director of facilities, planning and events, said St. Mary is planning a slew of events next year to celebrate the 200th anniversary, but the bishop’s blessing is among several events that will kick off the festivities.

Polana said he’s expecting about 300 people to attend the invocation, which will be followed by a large group photo taken via drone. The event will also be livestreamed to remote viewers, he said.

Kulick is set to offer his blessing at 9:20 a.m. The church asks those not attending its 8:30 Mass to arrive by 9:15 a.m.

The celebrations throughout this year and next will commemorate the generations of parishioners who built and maintained the church along High Street.

“We want to honor the people who came before us,” Polana said.

Among those who worshipped at St. Mary was Kulick’s late grandmother, Eva Barry, who was raised in Freeport before moving to Leechburg.

That gives the blessing some personal significance to Kulick, who grew up hearing stories about Freeport and the parish.

Though the anniversary provides a moment to look back, the bishop said St. Mary also is looking forward.

In an era that has seen sharp decline and closures for many parishes, Kulick said, St. Mary has shown steady “vibrancy and growth” in recent years, especially among young families.

That’s likely thanks to housing booms in nearby areas, such as Buffalo Township.

“It’s great to see the antiquity of the parish but also it stepping up to the need of the times,” Kulick said.

He hopes to replicate St. Mary growth throughout the diocese as it celebrates its own 75th anniversary next year, he said.

In addition to the steeple blessing, the parish will host a rosary rally and a 40-hour celebration of the eucharist — the Catholic consecrated bread believed to be the body of Christ — in the coming months.

Kosisko said that the end of that 40-hour celebration Sept. 4 will officially kick off the anniversary. That evening, he and other churchgoers will walk with the eucharist to a the gazebo at Freeport’s Riverside Park to celebrate Mass with the same table used by parishioners 200 years ago before a church had been constructed.

Although the priest only arrived at St. Mary about a year and a half ago, he said it’s a “great honor” to be part of its celebrations.

“We’re hoping we can leave something significant for those that come after us,” Kosisko said.

Next year, St. Mary is planning monthly events to celebrate the bicentennial, including a Christian music festival at Riverside Park and a play recounting the parish’s history at Freeport Theatre in Allegheny Township, Polana said.